Part 1 · Page 209
The Encounter between ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and Suwad ibn Qarib
English rendering of the source section
Local English translation of the available printed-page text; the exchange continues beyond p.209 and has not been reconstructed.
This local English rendering may condense the Arabic narration and editorial notes. It is not a complete published English edition. Consult the Arabic source for exact wording and context.
Read the corresponding Arabic sectionIbn Ishaq said: A trustworthy informant related to me, from Abdullah ibn Ka‘b, the freedman of ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, that while ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab was sitting among the people in the Messenger of Allah’s mosque, a man from the Arabs entered, seeking ‘Umar. When ‘Umar saw him, he said, “This man may still be upon his former polytheism, or perhaps he was a soothsayer in the pre-Islamic period.” The man greeted him and sat down. ‘Umar asked, “Have you become Muslim?” He replied, “Yes, Commander of the Faithful.” The report continues beyond the printed page.
[1] Qayd means a substitute or exchange. [2] Another genealogy is given for al-Ghaitalah, as daughter of Malik ibn al-Harith ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Sa‘q ibn Shanuk ibn Murrah; Shanuk was Mudlij’s brother. [3] Janb belonged to Madhhij: ‘Ayd Allah, Anas Allah, Zayd Allah, Aws Allah, Ja‘fi, al-Hakam, and Jarwah were sons of Sa‘d al-‘Ashirah ibn Madhhij. They were called Janb because they separated from their cousins Sada’ and Yazid, sons of Sa‘d al-‘Ashirah. [4] Yanzū means he leapt. [5] Asnada means he climbed or rose; recension A reads “he pressed on.” [6] This man was Suwad ibn Qarib, formerly a soothsayer who later accepted Islam.